Learning to survive: African American women’s quest for their rights during the civil rights movement

Abstract

The twentieth century marked one of the greatest events in African American history as people fought for their rights which sparked the protest of the African American Civil Rights Movement of America. The African Americans had been subjugated since the day they were brought to America as slaves to work on the plantations, even the abolition of slavery did not improve their conditions much. Moreover, the women in the African American community were the only minor group who were doubly marginalized. They were always under oppression at their own house, as was the position of any women in the 19th century. However, when the feminist movement took place, African American women found that they did not have a place for them either because the movement was dominantly led by white women. On the other hand, in case of the Civil Rights Movement, though the Black women were given a position as an activist, their job was usually pretty menial, and they were not really the face of the movement itself. Therefore, as the bill for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, it gave an opportunity of equal employment to women in America. Even though it includes women, it did not specify whether black women were included, however it is safe to assume that they were because the law was passed right during a movement involving the African Americans, and it does include all women. This report will explore the idea of how the Civil Right movement of America is actually a drive to protect the human rights of the African Americans and also question the position of the African American women in the Civil Rights Movement. The paper will also examine how these women were treated when they had limited rights and then observe whether the Civil Rights Movement had actually helped them.